
10/07/2025
CMO Office Budgam Organizes Technical Capacity-Building Workshop under NPCCHH
Budgam, July 10, 2025:
In a strategic move to strengthen climate-adaptive public health systems, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Budgam, successfully organized a technical training workshop under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) at the ANM Training School, Khanpora, Budgam. The session was designed to build the technical competencies of Block Nodal Officers and newly appointed Medical Officers in addressing climate-sensitive health risks and operationalizing NPCCHH guidelines at the grassroots level.
The workshop was formally inaugurated by Dr. Gulzar Ahmad Dar, CMO Budgam, who emphasized the critical importance of integrating climate resilience into health system planning, service delivery, and public health governance. He underscored the necessity for decentralized, climate-responsive strategies within the district to mitigate health risks arising from extreme weather events, air pollution, and heatwaves.
Dr. Maqsood, Divisional Nodal Officer for NPCCHH, Kashmir Division, presented a strategic overview of the programme's implementation framework, aligning it with regional climate vulnerability assessments, and elaborated on the development of District Climate and Health Action Plans (DCHAPs). Dr. Lahoot Hassan, District Health Officer (DHO) Budgam, coordinated the day-long event, ensuring technical coherence, cross-sectoral dialogue, and participatory engagement from all stakeholders.
The training featured three domain-specific sessions delivered by senior faculty members from the Department of Community Medicine (SPM), JVC Medical College, Srinagar, covering key technical domains within the NPCCHH framework:
Dr. Ashfaq Bhat, Professor and Head, Department of Community Medicine, presented the 2023 NPCCHH Guidelines on Green and Climate-Resilient Healthcare Facilities, highlighting principles of sustainable health infrastructure design, including passive ventilation, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, energy efficiency auditing, resilient WASH services, and carbon footprint minimization at facility level.
Dr. Binesh Mushtaq, Associate Professor, delivered a comprehensive session on Air Quality and Public Health, focusing on the health impacts of ambient air pollution, development of Air Pollution Health Action Plans (APHAPs), deployment of real-time air quality monitoring systems, and promotion of intersectoral mitigation frameworks at the block level.
Dr. Yasmeen, Assistant Professor, elaborated on the National Action Plan on Heat-Related Illnesses (2021), addressing the operational rollout of early warning systems, syndromic surveillance protocols, clinical management of heat stroke, and public awareness campaigns based on NPCCHH’s 2024 Public Health Advisory on Extreme Heat Events.
The workshop also included an overview of the NPCCHH district-level governance framework, including the role of the Environmental Health Cell, multi-sectoral task forces, and integrated data systems for localized health risk assessments. Participants engaged in scenario-based discussions on implementing block-level interventions in alignment with NPCCHH priorities.
In the valedictory session, Dr. Awsaf Jeelani, District Nodal Officer, NPCCHH Budgam, presented the District Climate and Health Action Plan (2025–26) and delineated the operational responsibilities of Block Nodal Officers, including IEC campaign ex*****on, periodic climate-health surveillance reporting, and convergence with existing national health programs. He reiterated the district’s commitment to adopting a systems-thinking approach to climate-health resilience.
A formal vote of thanks was extended by Dr. Lahoot Hassan and Dr. Jeelani, acknowledging the contributions of speakers, participants, and organizing teams. The CMO Office Budgam reaffirmed its commitment to mainstreaming climate resilience into the district health architecture through continued training, multi-sectoral coordination, and evidence-informed planning under the umbrella of the National Health Mission (NHM) and NPCCHH.
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Media Cell
CMO Budgam